The Helena Theatre Company is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a production of the Tony Award Winning (Best Play, 2015) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time based on the novel by Mark Hadden adapted by Simon Stephens. The production is a collaboration with Carroll College Theatre.

In this play, 15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.

Theaters across the country have been waiting for Dramatist Play Service to release the rights for the play. For years, the popular book club and school reading, The Curious Incident….. was thought be unadaptable because the main character, Christopher, an autistic adolescent lives in an interior world built on the fact that he “sees everything.” A brilliant visual play opened in London in 2014 and won 7 Olivier Awards, the equivalent of Tony’s on London’s West End. The next year it moved to Broadway to great acclaim and the Tony for Best Play. The staging captures the exciting depth of Christopher’s vision as he solves the mystery of the dog in the night-time and the unexpected mysteries of his life. Directed by Ed Noonan and Kevin Casey.

Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. on March 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, & 24 with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on March 18. Tickets are available at the door or online. Tickets are $16 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 with a current Carroll College ID ($3 on 3/18 with Carroll ID). Call 406- 431-3750 for info on group rates.